Spain drops university entrance test for international students

In a move to establish Spain as an education destination, the country has scrapped its university entrance test- Selectividad, for international students. The move, introduced as a royal decree in June this year, will be implemented with immediate effect in order to boost the number of international students in Spain.

Officials in Spain believe that the move will allow Spain to explore new opportunities and tap the growth in higher education mobility across the world.

One of the major issues that international students faced with Selectividad is that the exam was based in Spanish and the pattern followed the Spanish education curricula.

Although students from the European Union or China were relieved from taking the test, it was still taken by about 7,000 students last year.

However, the flipside is that public universities in Spain will now have to raise the tuition fee for International students- a move that could rehabilitate Spain’s ailing economy. Many universities in Spain charge international students same fees as Spanish students- apractice Spain is looking forward to change.

About 74,000 foreign students were enrolled in Spanish universities last year.